I remember buying this purely on the strengths of the reviews without ever having heard a track – and it turned out to be as good as everyone said. Many of the songs on this double album feel unfinished, and yet it’s glorious from start to finish, laced with melancholy and charm. The playing is gorgeous, and the sound seemed to define what ‘Americana’ meant for a long time – the sound of yearning steel guitars, heartbroken pianos and weary, sad vocals, the whole thing recorded in brown and dusty rooms on old instruments.